International Co-operation

Although differences in the procedures and the legal framework relating to radiation protection, nuclear safety and waste management exist in many countries, the international exchange of experience and information is essential to provide for protection of both population and environment. International co-operation takes place in all BfS departments.

In connection with Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, the OPERRA project started in June 2013. The objective of the project is to support the "Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative" (MELODI) in building an umbrella structure for the long-term integration of radiation protection research in Europe.

The High Level and Expert Group (HLEG) was an initiative of representatives of six national bodies with a policy interest or substantial research activities in low dose risk research and the EC EURATOM research programme.

There are still uncertainties when it comes to the assessment of risk following low doses of ionizing radiation and their contribution to cancer and non cancer diseases. To fill this knowledge gap is subject to interdisciplinary scientific studies as well as to sustainable fastening of research in the low dose area in Europe.

The mission of the NERIS Platform is to establish a forum for dialogue and methodological development between all European organisations and associations taking part in decision making of protective actions in nuclear and radiological emergencies and recovery in Europe.

EU Member States are committed to determine data on the population dose from medical radiation exposures (Medical Exposure Directive MED from 1997 Art. 12; EU Basic Safety Standards from 2013, Art. 64). At the end of 2004, an EU-funded project called DOSE DATAMED was set up with regard to the implementation of the MED. DOSE DATAMED covered ten European countries with national experiences in conducting surveys on medical radiation exposures. In 2011, a follow-up project was launched addressing also EU countries with less or no experiences concerning this matter: Dose Datamed 2 (duration: January 2011 - March 2013).

Subsequent to a large-scale radiation accident or a terrorist attack with radiation sources or radioactive material, a substantial number of persons could have been exposed to ionising radiation. In order to provide optimal medical care to the exposed individuals and to identify non-irradiated persons a reliable dose reconstruction is of utmost importance. This can be realized by several measures within the emergency management system.

Everywhere in Europe, a decrease in radiation protection competency can be observed, since experienced experts retire and young people do no longer consider this field to be their intended career. New initiatives are to counteract this development. It is intended to concentrate the available resources through a "Europeanisation" of those parts of training and education that are not bound to national regulations. The ENETRAP project (ENETRAP = European Network on Education and Training in Radiation Protection) in which BfS was in charge of one work package, was discontinued at the end of 2007, after it had successfully developed and had shown good results such as the establishment of a study course "European Master in Radiation Protection".

The main objective of the "EMAN" project was to establish a sustainable European Medical ALARA Network (EMAN) where different stakeholders within the medical sector will have the opportunity to discuss and to exchange information on different topics relating to the implementation of the ALARA principle in the medical field.

It is the aim of EURADOS, to support the scientific understanding and the technical development of methods of dosimetry of ionising radiation in the fields of radiation protection, radiobiology, radiotherapy, and medical diagnostics. This is achieved by cooperation between European institutions, especially from EU countries.